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The economy may be slowing down in some parts of the country, but not, apparently, in Minneapolis, where national electronics retailer <A HREF="http://www.bestbuy.com/">Best Buy Co</A>., Inc. announced December 7 its acquisition of both <A HREF="http://www.musicland.com/">Musicland Stores Corporation</A> (also of Minneapolis) and Seattle-based <A HREF="http://www.magnoliahifi.com/">Magnolia Hi-Fi, Inc</A>. The buyouts will give Best Buy increased exposure in rural malls and in the Pacific Northwest. The company also announced a plan to open several stores in Canada over the next three years, beginning with eight locations for which leases have already been signed.

Thirteen months after announcing its <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/10593/">return</A&gt; to manufacturing, Memphis-based speaker maker <A HREF="http://www.egglestonworks.com/">EgglestonWorks</A&gt; is back in a big way, with plans to debut a "radical" and "visually provocative" reference loudspeaker at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.

Robert Deutsch asks, "How can you tell an audiophile from a normal person?" RD's answer involves the name of the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/296/">Vienna Acoustics Mahler loudspeaker</A>, which Deutsch reviewed for the April 2000 issue of <I>Stereophile</I>. Deutsch writes, "I find Gustav Mahler's music to be on the ponderous side, but when I heard the Vienna Acoustics Mahlers at HI-FI '99, I was sufficiently impressed that I began the process of getting a pair for review." The results of his careful listening are not ponderous at all.

No question that most audiophiles who read <I>Stereophile</I> are concerned about the performance of their home systems, but what about their car systems?

One of the constraints of the DVD format that is much hated by consumers around the world is the notorious "region code," whereby a DVD disc will only play in a machine that was bought in the country or region that the disc is licensed for. Hollywood claims that this is the only way to protect a work's licenses, which may vary from country to country. But region codes have made it tough on citizens in countries with few DVD releases and world travelers who try to bring home and play discs that they find abroad, leading to the widespread use of "hacks" to circumvent the restrictions.

Recordings more than 100 years old can now be heard on the Internet, thanks to a <A HREF="http://www.mp3.com/oldest">new program</A> established by San Diego-based startup <A HREF="http://www.mp3.com/">MP3.com</A&gt;. Among the sonic treasures is Thomas Edison narrating a "phonographic trip around the world" recorded in 1888. The site offers copies of Edison cylinder recordings and early 78 rpm discs, all available for free.

The <A HREF="http://www.siriusradio.com/">Sirius Satellite Radio</A> constellation will soon be in position, thanks to the successful launch November 30 of Sirius-3, the third satellite in the Sirius system. The transponders are being arrayed in geosynchronous orbits above North America for maximum radio coverage, which will begin in 2001. The previous two satellites were launched last summer and in early autumn.